EP1322055A2

EP1322055A2 - Audio mixer with built-in electronic metronome

Info

Publication number: EP1322055A2
Application number: EP02425691A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bruno Tanoni
Original assignee: F B T Elettronica SpA
Current assignee: F B T Elettronica SpA
Priority date: 2001-11-15
Filing date: 2002-11-13
Publication date: 2003-06-25
Also published as: ITMC20010045U1; EP1322055A3

Abstract

The present invention relates to an audio mixer with built-in electronic metronome, whose signal is sent directly to at least one of the adders located upstream all mixer outputs.

Description

The present patent application relates to an audio mixer with built-in electronic metronome.
The advantages of the invention will become evident after a short description of the current technology with main drawbacks.
As it is known, audio mixers are electronic devices that are used to mix and control signals from different audio sources through analogue and/or digital controls and send them to one or more outputs in order to control playback machines (such as headphones, sound diffusers and similar items) after amplification.
Moreover, mixers allow musicians to evaluate the quality of their performance with voices and sounds in real time through the headphone.
The metronome is the instrument that provides exact time measure to musicians during their exhibition.
Metronomes are typically mechanical devices comprising a pendulum actuated by a spring mechanism with two different weights. One of the weights slides along the pendulum in order to determine the higher or lower oscillation typically marked by ticking.
The electronic metronomes that have been recently developed are smaller lighter devices that generate time measure with absolute accuracy by means of suitable microprocessors.
Thanks to the capability of measuring time perfectly, metronomes are used by musicians to identify time immediately and maintain it during the entire exhibition with perfect accuracy.
In view of these two requirements (listening to the played music through the mixer and being assisted by the time marked by a metronome) the operation of mixers and metronomes is now co-ordinated in such a way that musicians can listen to the time marked by the metronome through the same headphone that provides the music through the mixer.
The common solution is to send the signal generated by an electronic metronome to one of the mixer input channels, mix it with the audio signals from the other mixer's channels and send it to the mixer output channel connected to the musician's headphone.
A popular model of electronic metronomes is provided with a headphone output that is suitably powered through a power amplifier. In this case the connection is made through a cable connected to the metronome output and to one of the mixer's input channels.
This solution, however, is characterised by several economic and practical drawbacks, since musicians need to buy two separate devices (a mixer and an electronic metronome), connect them and manage them while playing.
More recently electronic metronomes have been replaced by computers, which are already used for recording or playback systems. According to this technology, the metronome signal is generated through the computer audio board.
This solution, however, requires the presence of an operator that controls the co-ordinated operation of the two devices (mixer and metronome).
In this case the musician and the operator in charge of controlling the mixer and metronome must be in constant communication while playing, so that the operator can set the correct values according to the musician's instructions.
The difficulties encountered in optimising the exchange of information between the musician and the mixer operator considerably impair this solution.
The device of the invention has been designed after a careful examination of the drawbacks of the prior technique, in order to provide an advantageous solution.
The purpose is to realise an audio mixer with built-in electronic metronome.
It must be said that the two devices are incorporated both physically (being the metronome contained in the mixer case) and in terms of components.
Moreover, it must be said that the connection between the mixer of the invention and the metronome is no longer made with an external cable, since the metronome makes use of one of the mixer's components (thus avoiding expensive duplications), that is the power amplifier used to send the metronome signal to the musician's headphone.
The result of the invention is a device with limited cost and high technical-functional efficacy, whose compact dimensions allow musicians to place it near them and operate it while playing.
For major clarity the description of the invention continues with reference to the enclosed drawings, which are intended for purposes of illustration and not in a limiting sense, whereby Fig. 1 is the block diagram of the audio mixer according to the invention.
In the preferred embodiment shown in the block diagram, the mixer (1) has three input channels (2) and two output channels (3a, 3b), with the output channel (3a) downstream the power amplifier (4) with volume potentiometer (4a) dedicated to the musician's headphone, and the output channel (3b) used to send the mixed signal to another mixer, recording device, etc.
The three input channels (2) are of unbalanced monophonic or stereophonic jack type and provided with gain (2a) and equaliser (2b) for tone control.
As mentioned above, the casing of the mixer (1) also houses the components of an electronic metronome (5), basically including a microprocessor (5a) for time generation and function control actuated by means of an external pedal and a push-button panel with display (5b) and assisted by a memory (5c), with a D/A converter (5d), a low-pass filter (5e) and a volume potentiometer (5f) downstream the microprocessor (5a).
The block diagram shows that the connection between the metronome (5) and the components of the mixer (1) is such that the time signal marked by the metronome (5) is mixed to the musical signal coming from the three input channels in the two adding circuits, commonly known as "adders" (Σa, Eb), dedicated to the two output channels (3a, 3b), respectively.
In this way the metronome signal (5) mixed with musical signals can be sent directly to the musician's headphone through the output (3a) using the power amplifier (4) associated with the output (3a).
In addition, the metronome signal (5) mixed with musical signals could be sent directly to the second output (3b) of the mixer (1) of the invention, that is the output designed to connect an additional mixer or recording system, according to the musician's requirements.
To this purpose the invention is provided with a switch (6) that allows for opening or closing the connection between the metronome (5) and the adder (Σb), as desired.
As regards the metronome signal (5), it must be said that it is generated by the microprocessor (5a) that reads the pre-sampled sound recorded in the memory (5c) and sends it to the D/A converted (5d); it being provided that the operation of the microprocessor (5a) can be regulated and monitored by means of the alphanumeric display (5b) that shows the metronome settings (5).
The memory (5c) can also record combinations of metronome parameters ("presets") at the user's discretion; it being provided that each combination or preset is composed of time value, measure length, click measure unit, sound type, self-switching off command of the metronome (5) after a predefined number of measures.
The switching on and off commands of the metronome (5) can be also given through a pedal to facilitate the user's control operations.
The built-in metronome (5) of the mixer (1) can also be used to tune musical instruments, since it can generate a series of musical tones for tuning up instruments, such as guitars, pianos, arches, etc., with the microprocessor (5a), the memory (5c) and the converter (5d).
The mixer of the invention can be powered through an external power supply from the mains or with internal batteries.

Claims

Audio mixer with built-in electronic metronome, of the type comprising one or more input channels (2) and one or more output channels (3a, 3b), each of them downstream the corresponding adder (Σa, Σb), characterised by the fact that the metronome (5) is connected to the mixer (1) at one or more adders (Σa, Σb).
Audio mixer with built-in electronic metronome according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the connection between the metronome (5) and the adders (Σa, Σb) is made by means of a switch (6).
Audio mixer with built-in electronic metronome according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the microprocessor (5a) of the electronic metronome (5) co-operates with a programmable memory (5c) capable of imposing different combinations of operating parameters of the metronome (5), including the metronome switching off command after a predefined number of measures, to the microprocessor (5a).
Audio mixer with built-in electronic metronome according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the metronome (5) can generate a series of musical tones to be used for instrument tuning.
Audio mixer with built-in electronic metronome according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that it is powered from the mains.
Audio mixer with built-in electronic metronome according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that it is powered with batteries.